Ultra Wanky Model Box Photographs

It has been suggested (by more than one person I'll have you know) that I post my model box photographs. So here they are. Enjoy.

 

No Time For Small Talk

And now it’s time to talk about Kevin. Not really. It’s actually time to talk about The Zumbo Lounge. More specifically, the look of The Zumbo Lounge.

If any of you have ever been to the Cobalt Café on North Great George’s Street you’ll know that it is a stunning Georgian house with a really funky café on the ground floor. And anyone who has ever been to one of (co-producer) Winedark Production’s shows will know that it really is a great venue for cabaret style entertainment. Where better, then, to stage L.A. Blues?

Right from conception, the play was designed to be performed in The Cobalt Café. A site-specific location (using one of the definitions of that seemingly straightforward but actually somewhat confusing theatrical term) would allow the audience to be both spectator and participant. So The Cobalt Café becomes The Zumbo Lounge, the audience of the former becoming the audience in the latter. Which is all very well and good. Except that is makes it difficult for the audience (whether spectating or participating) to see what is going on. So we need a set. Which means designing a set. Something simple. Something that will give height but not detract from the aesthetic of the existing location. Easy done. The design, that is. Not everything else that followed.

I had the designs and layouts. I’d even done scale models using my model-box. Which sounds ultra wanky I know, but miniatures can be really cool and it did allow the actors to make sense of what we’ve been doing blocking wise before we get a chance to get into the venue proper. I’d priced the wood. I’d arranged equipment to cut it to size and a location to build everything. But, and this is a pretty big but, I had no way of getting the wood to where I needed it. Which was more than somewhat frustrating. Some of you may have noticed my plea for a van on Facebook a short while ago. This was a last ditch attempt to get things in motion early. Alas, I failed. So far...

But it is yet another thing to worry about. Never mind dealing with the actors and printers and costumers and all that other stuff... Still, I live for stress. Or so I try to convince myself. Because I don’t really. I hate stress. Hate it. I’m a fan of being prepared. Like the scouts, but indoor. But I’m resigned to the stress coming. I just didn’t expect it so soon. I’m not worried about the set per se – once we get it all sorted, it will look cool (there’s that word again – anyone would think we’re working on a 1990s indie movie starring Johnny Depp). Cool yet functional. Like an esky designed by Apple. 

Booking Lines Now Open!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

The booking lines are now open.

If you want to reserve tickets for L.A. Blues (and if not, why not?) then you can do so by following one of these very simple procedures:

Call 086-0591346. Let us know who you are, how many tickets you want and for which night.

Or: 

Email neonfringe@gmail.com and let us know who you are, how many tickets you want and for which night.

Spaces are limited so please do book early to avoid disappointment.

I Bought Her a Drink, She Blew Smoke in My Face

With opening night rapidly approaching (don’t worry cast members, it’s still a long way off), rehearsals are well underway.  For the first few weeks we had been working in isolation - acting and music rehearsals kept separate, allowing each of the performers to work on their own parts before we attempted a combination.

Until Thursday.

Last week we had our first proper run of the play with the musical elements included. And it wasn’t half bad. It wasn’t even a quarter bad. In fact, it was pretty good. So much time had been spent working on the ‘acting’ that I had forgotten just how much of a part the music has to play in the production. Suddenly the very serious dramatic scenes carried more weight and there was a much better flow to the piece as a whole. Obviously, as the play was designed and written this way, it shouldn’t have come as such a revelation. But there you go.

Not everything worked. Not every segue works as well in reality as it does on the page. How many of the songs are in-character performances? External commentary? Both? On a more specific level, one of the songs is far too long and really drags a scene down. This has nothing to do with the choice of song, or indeed the performance. The problem is a combination of context, length and situation. We’ll have to make changes to ensure that it works but I don’t doubt that it will.

I Knew I Had To Have Her

A note on poster design.

I am good at doing a lot of things. Most of them are entirely pointless skills (movie trivia retention being a case in point) but they remain something I’m good at. Working Photoshop is not one of them. I’ve tried. On more than one occasion. And failed. On more than one occasion. So in order to create promotional images for L.A. Blues, I needed help.

A good idea is hard to come by. And even when you do come by one, translating that idea into reality is not always successful, or even possible. This is especially true when working with someone else. Both individuals need to be on the same page, so to speak, striving for the same result. In this case, an image that was a fair presentation of the play. Not only fair, but cool. That probably reads as slightly childish – we wanted a cool poster. Well, think about it. L.A. Blues. A noir set in 1948 with mobsters, femme fatales and cabaret. Cool right? Exactly.

Researching old movie posters and pulp novel sleeves, I knew what I wanted. Sort of. I met with the designer (the fabulous Katie McDermott) and explained what I was thinking and left it with her. She came back with a design that I loved but just wasn’t exactly right. Back and forward we went, with ideas from both parties succeeding and failing in equal measure. But then, we got it. A poster that lets the audience know everything you need to about the play – character, period, tone. No one is going to arrive expecting a modern comedy with Linda Martin, that’s for sure. (Note to self – check Linda Martin’s availability for a modern comedy set in a cabaret bar).

In the end, it doesn’t matter who thought of what for where. (Although, for what it’s worth, I had very little to do with the design. I was more of a ‘minor alterations’ man – which I’m sure is every designers worst nightmare.) In the end, all that matters is that the result is great. That, and myself and Katie are still on speaking terms. It was a collaboration that worked. I say collaboration… but I’m massively grateful that at least one of us knew what she was doing. Check out the promotional images below and feel free to leave comments.

Right, who wants to know the director of photography for Home Alone? Anyone?

When In Came This Broad...

Hello. And apologies for the lack of action on the blog for the last while. Believe it or not, we've been busy with the actual production. No excuse I know, but a reason nonetheless.

To tide you all over until the next proper installment (which will be any day now and will prove a scintillating read*), here is the official blurb for the play. Enjoy!

L.A. Blues - A Musical Noir

"California, 1948. The City of Fallen Angels is a hotbed of murder, mystery and music. A place where nothing is sacred and everything is suspect. Where justice is for sale and corruption is a way of life.

Meet Winifred, a small-town gal looking to make it big; Fats, a brutal mobster with an eye for the ladies; and Billy, a young mechanic convinced of true love. When these three lives unexpectedly collide, passions are awakened and loyalties divided. Truth is only what you are made to believe. But who is the victim and who is the villain in this dark tale of deception, denial and death?

Starring Andrew Deering, Sorcha Ní Chléirigh and Matthew O’Brien, and with live music by James Barry and Margot Doherty, this musical noir will have your feet tapping and your heart racing. Featuring thirteen classic hits such as I’m in the Mood for Love, On a Slow Boat to China and Blue Moon, L.A. Blues will transport you to the cabaret clubs of 1940s America, where the only thing more dangerous than a bullet is a dame."

* not a guarantee

And There I Was, Minding My Own Business...

Hello. And welcome to the first in a series of Director’s Blogs for L.A. Blues. My name is Chris Lynch, writer/director for this production. By way of an introduction, a little on how we got to where we are…

The new play, a musical noir, is the first collaboration between Neon Fringe Productions and Winedark Productions. It is quite the departure for both companies and expectations are high that it will be a success.

The project began with the simple idea of a play with songs. Not a musical per se, but a drama with musical performances. A way for two companies with a close relationship to work together. Neon Fringe would supply the actors and Winedark the music. It was to be a cabaret of sorts, with the focus on a strong playlist and a few dramatic scenes to tie everything together.

Needless to say, as the script progressed and the play began to take shape, it became obvious that this would be much more of a coherent whole than originally envisaged. The story and the characters took over. No longer would the drama tie the music together. Rather the music would become an integral element in the story. A play with songs became a musical noir.

And what songs! The song selection for the production by James Barry is sublime. I defy anyone to not enjoy each and every one. Not only are they outstanding numbers, they complement and advance the story in ways I could not have imagined when writing the script. It is here that L.A. Blues became a true collaboration.

We have a long way to go. But the groundwork has been laid. I hope you will join us on our journey.